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Utica University
Florida Nursing Students at work.

Nursing (Direct-Entry M.S.)

  1. Academics
  2. Our Programs
  3. Nursing (Direct-Entry M.S.)

About This Program

You've got passion, determination, integrity, and a commitment to help others. Nursing may be the calling for you. It's more than a job, it's a profession.

Department

Nursing Department

Why Utica University

The Direct Entry MSN (DEMSN) is an innovative advanced degree option for students who already have a non-nursing bachelor's degree and are looking to become a nurse. This program prepares graduates to be licensed as Registered Professional Nurses and gets students ready to choose a path to a second specialty master's degree or advanced certificate.

You will be challenged in ways you probably never knew, but in less than two years you'll be rewarded in ways you couldn't have imagined.

Graduates from this program will be able to:

  1. Integrate the arts and sciences with nursing science to inform clinical judgment and personal and professional development in advanced generalist nursing practice.
  2. Facilitate safe, evidence-based, ethical, and compassionate person-centered patient care to achieve quality health outcomes with diverse patients, situations, settings, and communities.
  3. Engage in intra and interprofessional collaboration, critical reflection, and innovation to promote lifelong learning, promote continual improvement, and inform policy.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of current information and health care technologies and their application to advanced generalist practice.

Contact Information

Office of Admissions

(315) 792-3006
admiss@utica.edu

General Information

Track

  • Master's

Degree

  • M.S.

Location

  • St. Petersburg, FL
Utica Excellence, Utica Value

Nursing (Direct-Entry M.S.) at Utica

Median Yearly Nursing Salary

$77,600

Project Growth Rate in Employment

9%

Career Opportunities

Nurses are needed in a wide variety of patient care settings, including but in no way limited to:
    • Hospitals
    • Primary Care
    • Urgent Care
    • Public Schools
    • Pharmacies
    • and More!
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Prepared for the Next Step

The DEMSN program prepares students to sit for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCLEX) exam upon successful completion of the program.

What You'll Learn

The Direct-Entry Master of Science in Nursing program has a strong focus on leadership, global health, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with multiple opportunities throughout the program to build awareness and leadership skills.

With a total of 80 credits for the program, students will be enrolled full-time with 15-17 credits per semester and complete 225 lab hours and 800 clinical hours in acute and community care.

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Nursing Faculty

Wendy Moore headshot cropped horizontal.
Wendy L. Moore, Ph.D.
  • Assistant Professor NUR
Katie M. Pawloski, MSN
  • Professor of Practice-Nursing (DEMSN)
Martha Desmond - submitted headshot
Martha A. Desmond, DNS
  • Professor of Practice - Nursing
Andrea Palerino
Andrea M. Palerino, M.S.
  • Assistant Professor of Nursing-Direct Entry MSN Program (NY)
Jessica N. Graham, M.S.
  • Clinical Coor ABSN St.Pete
Tiffany L. Hall, MSN
  • Adjunct Lecturer of Nursing

A Degree That Works

Utica University's Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing (DEMSN) hybrid program in nursing prepares you to take advantage of a growing demand for qualified care providers in critical care, childbearing and family nursing, geriatrics, community health, medical administration, and more. Utica nursing alumni have taken leadership positions at:

  • BayCare Health System - Tampa Bay
  • BayFront Health
  • Holy Cross Hospital - Fort Lauderdale
  • Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
  • Tampa General Hospital
  • Memorial Healthcare - South Florida
  • Moffitt Cancer Center - Tampa Bay
  • Empath Health - Clearwater, Florida
Exterior of a building on the St. Petersburg, Florida campus of Utica University.
Nursing Student at UC's St. Petersburg site helps administer COVID-19 vaccines.

On the Frontlines

In partnership with Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, students administered the COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 to more than 60 high-risk individuals, including frontline health care workers and people aged 65 and up, as part of phase 1 of the Florida vaccine rollout plan. This once in a lifetime opportunity allowed members of Utica's nursing program in St. Petersburg to be a part of history as they help fight back against the pandemic.

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Speaking from Experience

Students receive first-hand insight and experience through a variety of speakers that includes alumni, professionals, and industry experts from throughout the medical field.

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Dive Deeper

The Interprofessional Education (IPE) program at Utica University helps you develop a deeper understanding of a broad range of roles in the health professions so that you can effectively team up with practitioners in other disciplines to deliver outstanding patient care.

Learn More
Utica University Florida Campus

Visit Our Florida Campus

Discover Utica University’s St. Petersburg campus and explore a rewarding career in nursing or respiratory care. Register now for one of our upcoming events.

Browse Florida Events
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Need help with your English Language skills?

Utica University offers an English for Healthcare program for those looking to improve English fluency, accuracy, vocabulary, communication skills, and confidence in order to take the next step in your healthcare career.

Learn More

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